‘The Kid’ Blu-ray Review

THE SET-UP
In this western tale, a mix of fact and fiction, a young boy (Jake Schur) sets out to save his sister (Leila George) from their evil, abusive uncle (Chris Pratt), only to have his path cross with Billy the Kid (Dane DeHaan) and Sheriff Pat Garrett (Ethan Hawke). Screenplay by Andrew Lanham. Directed by Vincent D’Onofrio.

THE DELIVERY
The Kid is a gritty, superbly-acted film, a throwback to a time when mainstream Hollywood made westerns of consequence.

A mix of historical fact and fictional drama, The Kid is the second feature film directed by Vincent D’Onofrio (Netflix’s ‘Daredevil,’ Full Metal Jacket), and rather than try to modernize the western, he delivers a film that is both traditional and entertaining.

The film tells the story of brother and sister Rio and Sara Cutler (Jake Schur and Leila George), who go on the run from their abusive uncle Grant (Chris Pratt). The siblings cross paths with Billy the Kid (Dane DeHaan) and his gang, and Rio immediately befriends the outlaw.

Of course, Sheriff Pat Garrett (Ethan Hawke) surprises the gang and arrests Billy, and Rio is torn between the outlaw and the lawman, who befriends the brother and sister. Things get complicated when Uncle Grant tracks the siblings down and takes Sara with him. Billy offers to help Rio, who must decide whether to trust him or seek help from Pat Garrett. That’s not an easy decision, as it means Rio would have to disclose a dark secret to the sheriff.

The Kid reunites several cast members from the recent Magnificent Seven remake: Hawke, Pratt, and D’Onofrio (who has a small role as a sheriff), and it’s obvious their camaraderie and familiarity translates to the screen. The A-list cast is the film’s top draw, elevating Andrew Lanham’s strong screenplay to a totally engrossing character drama.

Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Boyhood) delivers another superb performance; his portrayal of Garrett as a driven, principled lawman gives the film the focus it needs to move the story forward. Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, The Amazing Spider-Man) is the perfect antithesis to Hawke’s Garrett in his portrayal as Billy the Kid. If there’s a downside to their performances, it’s that their interaction doesn’t get as much screen time as you would hope.

Jake Schur, in his first on-screen role, is fantastic as Rio. In most modern films, young actors in dramatic roles are often out of their depth, and struggle to convey authenticity. Schur has no such issues in this film, and holds his own with the rest of the veteran cast.

With so much of the story involving Schur’s character, the film could have easily derailed if his performance wasn’t believable. Not only is Schur up to the task, his performance is the main reason why the film works so well.

Leila George, the daughter of Vincent D’Onofrio and an established actress in her own right, is very good as Sara, in a difficult role to pull off. She has excellent chemistry with Schur, and her character looms large, even when she isn’t on screen.

Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World) chews up scenery as the villain, but he never takes it too over the top. You can tell he relishes playing the bad guy, and it’s an entertaining change of pace for the actor.

In the director’s chair, and as the co-writer of the story, D’Onofrio methodically lays out the plot and stays faithful to the character development, allowing the actors to flesh out their roles rather than inserting another gunfight. He crafts the sort of western tale that you don’t see from a major studio these days. It will likely remind you of both John Ford’s epics and Clint Eastwood’s pre-Unforgiven classics like The Outlaw Josey Wales and Pale Rider.

Cinematographer Matthew Lloyd (Netflix’s ‘Daredevil,’ Spider-Man: Far From Home) compliments D’Onofrio’s vision, creating a fully-immersive world that doesn’t feel like a studio set.

Thankfully, D’Onofrio doesn’t make Billy the Kid a likeable anti-hero, as many modern takes on the story try to do. Although DeHaan injects the character with lots of charisma, he’s still an outlaw, selfish and quick to violence. We obviously know how Billy’s story ends, so it isn’t a surprise to see it play out in the film, even though some artistic liberties were taken. It was a bit disappointing to see his character relegated to such a supporting role, and he doesn’t factor into the film’s climax at all.

The Kid is a entertaining moral tale overall, but the inevitable showdown with Pratt’s evil Uncle Grant isn’t quite as epic as it could be. Though The Kid isn’t quite the classic western you would hope it to be, the atmosphere and fantastic performances easily make it one of the best westerns to be released in some time.

VIDEO AND AUDIO
The Kid Blu-ray sports a nice high-definition transfer that compliments the cinematography well. There’s excellent detail in the image, and no film grain to speak of, as it was shot digitally. There’s no extensive manipulation of the image, outside of what appears to be some minor muting of the colors.

The deep and understated color palette sells the western look, and I had no complaints with the transfer overall. The 5.1 DTS MA-HD sound mix featured some nice surround effects during gun battles, and some decent channel separation throughout the film. There was the occasional use of hefty bass, but nothing too overpowering.

SPECIAL FEATURES
The Blu-ray has very few extras, with only a single “making of” featurette as the only major bonus feature. A more extensive look at the making of the film, and getting a little more insight from D’Onofrio and the cast and crew, would have been a great addition to the disc.

The extras on the disc are as follows:

“Making The Kid” featurette. Vincent D’Onofrio, Ethan Hawke and members of the cast and crew discuss the journey the film took from concept to screen. It is worth watching just to see the hilarious interaction between D’Onofrio and his real-life daughter Leila George. Running Time: 9:26

Trailers. Several trailers for other Lionsgate features, including Cold Pursuit, Never Grow Old, and Hostiles, are included.

Digital Copy. A code for a digital copy of the film, compatible with services including VUDU and Fandango Now, is included. Lionsgate films are not compatible with Movies Anywhere at this time.

THE BOTTOM LINE: ‘The Kid’ is a ride worth taking
The Kid is a riveting, well-crafted western that embraces the best aspects of the genre. The acting is top-notch, especially by Ethan Hawke and newcomer Jake Schur. If you miss the way westerns used to be made, this film is a welcome return to form.

BLU-RAY SPECS
Release Date: June 4, 2019
Rating: R
Running Time: 100 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Spanish
Special Features: “Making The Kid” featurette, Trailers, Digital Copy.
Label: Lionsgate
MSRP: $21.99 (Blu-ray) $19.99 (DVD)

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